QQ Survey Time!

[Kal Rubinson]

Hello Kal,
I didn't ask you to change your position anywhere in my response. If you like SACD/DSD despite it technically being a poor format, that is entirely your prerogative. I was merely pointing to the simplicity of ripping Blurays compared to SACDs with cheaply and readily available BD-ROM drives that hundreds of millions already have in their households with fully supported software (not by the record companies, but who gives a crap about that?). Your indication of "hundreds, perhaps thousands" pales in comparison to that and consists mostly of enthusiasts who are willing to go the extra mile and get the process working. It is not hard but can be a pain to get working and has far more variables that can go wrong.

The bottom line: You enjoy your music the way you like it. As for me, I will pick Bluray over other formats whenever there is a choice, though it will not preclude me from getting the SACD/DSD when there is no other choice.

Understood. My position on the matter of ease of ripping is unaffected but I will admit to another bias. There is too little music of interest on BD and what there is is typically of lower audio quality, imho. That may change but, until it does, I do not approach ripping them with high expectations.

 

[Sal1950]

There is too little music of interest on BD and what there is is typically of lower audio quality, imho.

I understand your music genre choice may get in the way, but all the best SQ Atmos and Auro recordings are on BD.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

I understand your music genre choice may get in the way, but all the best SQ Atmos and Auro recordings are on BD.

Indeed. Classical options are not sufficiently compelling and non-classical recordings have little impact on my activities.

 

[bluelightning]

Indeed. Classical options are not sufficiently compelling and non-classical recordings have little impact on my activities.

I have to agree with you on this. Most of the classical music on BD- audio I have received has been rather bland. In classical, I enjoy the video concerts much more. e.g. Chailly's and Abbado's Mahler series. There is plenty to enjoy in other genres, however

 

[MidiMagic]

SQ atmos?

 

[karlkastner]

Single bluray here but 2 SACDs would be ok too, no monitor needed, just press play.

As a sidebar inspired by your comment, what do people do if they have a disc player and a projector screen when they want to just play DVD audio or audio only Blu-ray? Anybody have a small monitor hooked up to access the disc's menu?

 

[par4ken]

As a sidebar inspired by your comment, what do people do if they have a disc player and a projector screen when they want to just play DVD audio or audio only Blu-ray? Anybody have a small monitor hooked up to access the disc's menu?

Yes I would think that use of some kind of monitor would be useful or necessary. That is the disadvantage of Blu-ray (and DVD-Audio) in that you have to navigate the menu. SACD on the other hand is more plug and play, once the options have initially been set up. Sadly the result of todays heavy integration of audio with video.

 

[AYanguas]

As a sidebar inspired by your comment, what do people do if they have a disc player and a projector screen when they want to just play DVD audio or audio only Blu-ray? Anybody have a small monitor hooked up to access the disc's menu?

As we have a multipurpose room (Main Living Room/Home Cinema/Music Atmos room), I put there the old TV from the second House (42'') as a quick display for watching news or TV films for a nap. That TV is used as AVR monitor 2 Output for Blu-Ray/DVD menus when only music. No problem with my wife, that she goes to another room, when I do critical Surround listening.

For watching home cinema, with a single Alexa order the sequential programmed process is launched to lower the motorized screen that covers the TV, the motorized blinds lower completely, AVR and projector start, an ambient Phillips HUE scene lights up for about two minutes (calculated time to adjust AVR, navigate player and launch the film/series/concert to watch) and finally all lights go out. Alexa also pronounces a welcome message.

I really impress my friends when entering the room for the first time and see the small TV at first.

 

[Sonik Wiz]

As a sidebar inspired by your comment, what do people do if they have a disc player and a projector screen when they want to just play DVD audio or audio only Blu-ray? Anybody have a small monitor hooked up to access the disc's menu?

I don't have as cool a room as @AYanguas but I do have an 8' screen that burns a $400 bulb. I don't feel like using it for just still images of album art, etc. So I try to keep its use minimized by setting my Oppo to auto play the surround sound choice on DVD-A & SACD. Sometimes you do need video for a bit to make selections on Blu-ray but for the most part my Oppo remote phone app can do a lot of the functions.

 

[LB-V]

For watching home cinema, with a single Alexa order the sequential programmed process is launched to lower the motorized screen that covers the TV, the motorized blinds lower completely, AVR and projector start, an ambient Phillips HUE scene lights up for about two minutes (calculated time to adjust AVR, navigate player and launch the film/series/concert to watch) and finally all lights go out. Alexa also pronounces a welcome message.

That is outrageously cool. Jealous! lol. I have a 13" TV / monitor that sits on top of the center speaker, that is larger in width. Not sure when, but I hauled the 48" down from my area for the kids one day, and it never went back. So it goes.

To stay on topic, I would prefer a single Blu-Ray. I do not rip anything, and I am not even currently set up to play digital files...I tried to use a USB to play the SM sampler from @chucky3042, but my Oppo would not recognize the files.

A single Blu-Ray is just simple for me to pop into the Oppo and enjoy.

 

[Sonik Wiz]

SQ atmos?

What?

 

[Mr. Afternoon]

What?

SQ Atmos
MQA DSD

 

[par4ken]

As mentioned earlier my first choice would be Blu-ray by a slim margin over SACD, but I'm starting to shift more towards SACD. Recently I was horrified to find out that the Blu-ray audio release of "Fresh Cream" is brick wall limited. What were they thinking! I have yet to encounter any SACD that has been brick-walled, but that doesn't mean that they don't exist. Garbage in garbage out regardless of format!

With regards to ripping obviously regular CD's come first. SACD's come second IMHO. Once set up it is an easy one step process to rip SACD to .dsf (or .iso). Only one more very easy step if you need flac. On the other hand Blu-ray ripping is a two step process, unless someone can point out an easier way. You first rip (decrypt) to .mkv with MakeMKV then you use AudioMuxer to extract the audio from the correct mpls file. Having said that the two step process is not that difficult either. I just ripped Chicago V from the Quadio set! Nice to see that the rip has no needless center or Lfe channel!

The last step is to tag the files, I use Mp3tag. I just found out a very useful feature, first find your release (or one with the same track list) in Discogs, then input the Discogs number into mp3tag and all the track information and cover art will be there. I just wish that I knew about that before as it can be used to instantly tag vinyl rips as well! You can search Discogs from the program itself but that doesn't work nearly as well as searching Discogs yourself first, then inputting the release number.

 

[jimfisheye]

Recently I was horrified to find out that the Blu-ray audio release of "Fresh Cream" is brick wall limited. What were they thinking! I have yet to encounter any SACD that has been brick-walled, but that doesn't mean that they don't exist. Garbage in garbage out regardless of format!

That last sentence you wrote is the crux of the biscuit!
There's an SACD set of Yes albums that have a stunningly brutal volume war and treble blast treatment. You can absolutely put volume war hash to DSD just as easily as PCM. And no one listening to that kind of thing even in low bit rate mp3 would ever be the wiser.

These are all excellent formats for ability to preserve audio to the highest standards. As well as preserving audio already damaged to the lowest standards! We still really didn't need an alternate language in the form of DSD though, Sony.

So... You DSD listeners with the strong opinions are listening to native DSD converters, right?

 

[par4ken]

That last sentence you wrote is the crux of the biscuit!
There's an SACD set of Yes albums that have a stunningly brutal volume war and treble blast treatment. You can absolutely put volume war hash to DSD just as easily as PCM. And no one listening to that kind of thing even in low bit rate mp3 would ever be the wiser.

These are all excellent formats for ability to preserve audio to the highest standards. As well as preserving audio already damaged to the lowest standards! We still really didn't need an alternate language in the form of DSD though, Sony.

So... You DSD listeners with the strong opinions are listening to native DSD converters, right?

Sad that you have confirmed what I suspected might be the case in that there are some brick walled SACD's, fortunately I've never come across any yet! It's a travesty that so called professionals would put out such garbage!

I don't understand why makers of such devices as cell phones and low end audio equipment don't build audio compression into their devices (or do they), then there would be absolutely no reason to compress the source material at all. So now all releases regardless of format are called into question, there are no guarantees left.

 

[jimfisheye]

Sad that you have confirmed what I suspected might be the case in that there are some brick walled SACD's, fortunately I've never come across any yet! It's a travesty that so called professionals would put out such garbage!

The HD formats and downloads are usually a calling card for critically mastered with no damage. CD is usually a calling card for mastered loud with indifference. But you'll find examples of opposites.

I don't understand why makers of such devices as cell phones and low end audio equipment don't build audio compression into their devices (or do they), then there would be absolutely no reason to compress the source material at all.

Yeah, this would solve the problem for everyone. They could still call it "loudness". Cheesy products could compete for loudest and everything. I'm surprised by this too.

So now all releases regardless of format are called into question, there are no guarantees left.

Yes and even more than in the analog days. (When it was hard and there were legitimate excuses.) Collecting for best mastered (least damaged) is more of a hobby than it ever was in the past.

 

[weekendtoy]

I'm too lazy to figure out how to rip Blu Ray's and SACD's.

I prefer the hybrid SACD or CD/Blu Ray combo platter so I can rip the CD for portable playback on the DAP.

 

[gene_stl]

Backing up CDs with dbPowerAmp is a complete easy snoozer. It goes out and gets all the metadata and album art and puts it all in the file.

Backing up SACDs with a Sony Blu-Ray and the Sonore software is also very easy. You have to get all the software switches set right and know the MAC address of your BD player which are pretty easy to accomplish. Then it works easily and seamlessly.

I have started using MakeMKV and it works well. I have ripped a couple of DVD videos but haven't learned how to separate out the audio tracks. I have never tried anything with a Blu-ray. yet.

I guess it's all easy, after you have beaten it into submission.

 

[Sal1950]

I'm too lazy to figure out how to rip Blu Ray's and SACD's.

I prefer the hybrid SACD or CD/Blu Ray combo platter so I can rip the CD for portable playback on the DAP.

IMO, little reason to rip 2 channel SACDs. I only bother with multich stuff.

I guess it's all easy, after you have beaten it into submission.

After you use MakeMV to create a decrypted backup, you then run that backup in DVD Audio Extractor. Works for all 2 and multich DVDs and Blurays after you learn your way around.
https://www.dvdae.com/

 

[The56Kid]

Backing up CDs with dbPowerAmp is a complete easy snoozer. It goes out and gets all the metadata and album art and puts it all in the file.

Backing up SACDs with a Sony Blu-Ray and the Sonore software is also very easy. You have to get all the software switches set right and know the MAC address of your BD player which are pretty easy to accomplish. Then it works easily and seamlessly.

I have started using MakeMKV and it works well. I have ripped a couple of DVD videos but haven't learned how to separate out the audio tracks. I have never tried anything with a Blu-ray. yet.

I guess it's all easy, after you have beaten it into submission.

Interested in dbpoweramp. What file format does it yield?